Social Cause (141)

The Extra Mile is a charity that collects frequent flyer miles from those that don’t use them or donate them, so that friends and family of terminally ill people can visit their loved ones back home.

Matt Dimmer came up with the idea after he had to travel back and forth when his father was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in 2011. He realised that not everyone would be able to afford this, so he set up the Extra Mile to make it easier for families to embark on emergency visits to see ill relatives. Those with frequent flyer miles who don’t need them are encouraged to donate them to them.

Why it matters

Frequent travellers can often earn a hefty number of miles that sometimes go to waste if they expire before they could be used. The Extra Mile project is a great way to give a new life to those forgotten miles, while helping people who really need them. It’s a very emotional project, so it will be interesting to see if airlines would want to be part of it and get closer to their consumer’s hearts. What other brands could be part of such a worthwhile project? And what other concept could be developed with unused loyalty points?

A Spanish NGO launched a campaign to raise awareness about the lack of public education for more than 60 million children around the world. The idea was to add an empty red chair in classrooms to symbolise how children are missing out on basic education.

The arrival of red chairs in the classroom has made some children question why they are there. This became the perfect opportunity for teachers to address the issue with materials created by the NGO such as games and stories.

Why it matters

The right to education is part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Yet, many children are left behind. This campaign is an innovative way to get this message across and educating Spanish school children about the importance of education. Could other types of industries – such as cinemas, theatres or museums – raise public awareness with the ‘empty chair’ concept?

France’s Eole Water has created a turbine that can condense water in the air and make it safe for drinking.

Aside from the obvious environmental benefits a wind turbine offers, the company’s WMS1000 sucks in passing air that goes through a cooling compressor in the generator compartment, which then condensates passing airborne moisture. The water is then collected, filtered to World Health Organization drinking standards and delivered through a tap at the bottom of the turbine. According to Eole Water, the turbine can produce up to 1,000 liters a day.

Why it matters

Today, 150 million of people worldwide live in remote areas without any access to safe drinking water. For communities situated in regions where there are low water supplies, the turbine could prove to be a vital resource. When it comes to social causes, should brands partner with existing sustainable innovative company to be more efficient?